For roughly 30 years, DGM have been dominating the Italian progressive steel scene, and with almost a dozen albums produced since their 1997 debut LP (Change Route), they’ve actually explored the subgenre in lots of depth. With 2024’s Limitless – which follows 2023’s Life – the quintet determined to alter path another way by leaning into basic (Seventies) progressive rock templates and storytelling. Regardless of being undeniably spinoff and repetitious general, the file a extremely commendable and entertaining reinvigoration that ought to please each established followers and anybody who felt that DGM‘s prior work was a bit too aggressive.
As guitarist/keyboardist Simone Mularoni notes, Limitless is the group’s “first actual idea album” and “the primary DGM album that features many extra dynamic, [reflective], and acoustic moments than previously.” (Particularly, it attracts inspiration from artists comparable to Yes, Jethro Tull, PFM,and Kansas.) Plus, it evokes Robert Frost‘s well-known poem “The Road Not Taken” in that it “chronicles one man’s imaginative journey to grasp the alternatives that formed his life,” in the end asking: “How may life be totally different if I had taken one other path?”
Clearly, DGM have the musical and narrative ambitions to make Limitless an interesting journey, and in case you can look previous how acquainted all of it appears, you will little doubt discover that it largely lives as much as its potential.
The album’s conventional progressive/symphonic rock emphases are obvious from the bounce, with opener “Guarantees” starting as an acoustic prelude earlier than evolving right into a full-on prog rock instrumental tour-de-force. In a method, it feels like what would occur if Randy McStine (McStine & Minnemann, Porcupine Tree) sang – after which performed on – the opening piece from Spock’s Beard‘s Snow (“Made Alive/Overture“). Even so, it is a very spectacular and pleasant introduction whose fluidity, melodies, taking part in, and numerous textures (particularly, woodwinds) instantly reveal how snug the band is of their new terrain.
Subsequent items “The Nice Unknown,” “Clean Pages,” and 14-minute epic nearer “…Of Limitless Echoes” are equally imitative but nonetheless fairly putting. With their anthemic choruses, heartfelt hooks, and resourceful timbres (comparable to affective pianowork, acoustic guitar strums, and heat horns), it is exhausting to not get invested in them.
That stated, the center portion of the LP finds the group extra overtly embracing their heavier (progressive steel) DNA. As an illustration, “Remaining Name” and “Solitude” recall the country introspections and/or complexly hectic guitar, percussion, and keyboard theatrics of Echolyn, Shadow Gallery, and Dream Theater. “From Ashes” even harkens again to DGM‘s energy steel origins with its in-your-face hostility and operatic singing (courtesy, after all, of vocal powerhouse Marco Basile).
If it weren’t apparent sufficient already, Limitless deserves reward for its intentions and execution, however it might’t assist however really feel like a pastiche of varied legendary progressive rock artists, too. In truth, it generally resembles particular passages from others’ works. (To not hold bringing them up, however “The Nice Unknown” has loads in widespread with Spock’s Beard‘s “At the End of the Day,” which – coincidentally or not – comes from an album that ends with a chunk known as “The Great Nothing“).
Whether or not intentional or not, these parallels cannot be ignored, however in addition they do not imply that Limitless is totally unoriginal or unenjoyable. Consequently, it is nonetheless a worthwhile effort so long as you understand what to anticipate.
